Battle claws (Books)
"The whole owl world will want battle claws." ]] :—Theo, the First Blacksmith '''Battle claws' are long claw-like metal sheaths that slip over an owl's talons, held on by leather straps. Battle claws are usually used as weapons in warfare, increasing the talons' (an owl's natural weapons) damage, reach, and deadliness. Battle claws are the primary and most commonly used weapons in the owl kingdoms, as even owls who live alone can have them made by rogue smiths. Despite their use as weapons, battle claws are also often used by colliers to pick up hot coals that would normally hurt the talons. The first primitive set of claws were made by Theo, the first blacksmith. However, how battle claws are described and depicted in the books is inconsistent. : History ''The First Collier While Grank and Theo were experimenting with fire, Theo was making a three-clawed shape which looked like an owl's talon. Grank challenged him to make another sharp point and then hollow it out, which he did. Theo, when told by Grank what he had just done, was shocked, for he was a gizzard-resister. It was only by revealing that the egg he had on the unnamed island was that of Queen Siv and King H'rath, that he convinced Theo to make another set to arm the owls who were to fight for the eggs safety. Later, while Theo was flying over the Bitter Sea, he met a Great Horned Owl and a Snowy named Lord Elgobad (a cousin of Lord Arrin's) who were trying to recruit new troops for Lord Arrin's forces. They attacked Theo, unaware of this new weapon, and thinking him unarmed against their swords. Theo easily killed the overconfident Great Horned, while Elgobad barely escaped with his life. The word about them eventually spread, and in the present day, to have battle claws is very common. Theo, however, remained haunted by what he had done. The Capture Battle claws are first seen when Skench appears wearing battle claws and full battle regalia to stop Soren and Gylfie's escape from St. Aggies. Notable Battle Claws 'Ezylryb's battle claws' Ezylryb's battle claws have had a long and tragic history. They were made by the rogue smith of Dark Fowl, Orf, for Lyze of Kiel, the warrior of the Northern Kingdoms, who in turn had made them for his younger brother, Ifghar. Ifghar received them after he won the Blue Heart of Valor award for courage in battle, and Lyze passed them on to him. However, he took them back when Ifghar suggested they surrender to the League of the Ice Talons, which was treason. In the next battle against the Ice Talons, he lost them on the battlefield, but was persuaded to pick them up again. He swore never to fight with any pair of battle claws again after his mate, Lil, was killed. He joined the Glauxian Brothers, and then the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, where he hid them in a secret chamber, the same one where King Hoole read coded messages. He kept them there for years. After the Great Downing, Lyze (now known Ezylryb) left to investigate and did not return. The Band looked in his hollow and rediscovered the secret chamber, where they saw the battle claws. After the Battle of the Beaks, when Ezylryb had returned, he passed the claws to his ward, Soren, which gave him a "free pass" to the forge of the rogue smith Orf. In the final battle of ''The War of the Ember, Soren sliced off the Striga's head with them. Other types of battle claws *'Coal claws' - Coal claws are battle claws with bonk coals at the tips, burning as well as tearing. They are dangerous not just to the opponents but the wearer as well, as they can do long-term damage to an owl's talons, and so most rogue smiths refuse to make them. *'Fire claws' - Similar to coal claws, fire claws are regular battle claws, but heated with red-hot coals, a step up from a set of coal claws. Also, like the coal claws, they can inflict massive damage to an owl's talons. *'NAST's' (N'ickel '''A'lloy 'S'uper 'T'alons) - NAST's are battle claws made by Bubo, the blacksmith of the Great Tree. They're said to be able to split rock due to their reliability and strength. *'''DHR's ('D'ouble 'H'inged 'R'etractables) - DHR's are the newest battle claws made by Bubo, the blacksmith of the Great Tree. They are nearly as deadly as fire claws. Gallery Rise_alternate.jpeg|Lyze wearing battle claws on the cover of The Rise of a Legend Kluddd_Japanese_siege.JPG|Kludd wearing fire claws on the Japanese cover of The Burning Siege_battle_claws.jpeg|Battle claws on the cover of The Siege lyze-battleclaws-rise.PNG|Lyze's Battle Claws on the japanese cover of The Rise of a Legend ﻿ Category:Weapons Category:Objects Category:St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls